Determination of neopterin [D-erythro-6-(1',2',3'-trihydroxypropyl)pterin] in body fluids is a powerful diagnostic tool in a variety of diseases in which activation of cellular immune mechanisms is involved, such as certain malignancies, allograft rejection, and autoimmune and infectious diseases. In vitro, neopterin is released into the supernatant by peripheral blood-derived monocytes/macroph...

AIMS Serum levels of neopterin, an immune modulator secreted by activated macrophages, are elevated in patients with acute coronary syndromes compared with stable angina patients and control subjects. In unstable angina, serum neopterin levels correlate with the presence of vulnerable coronary stenosis, multiple complex coronary lesions, and patient outcome. The present study assessed the progn...

Acute infectious diseases of the respiratory tract are regularly associated with increased concentrations of neopterin in serum and/or urine. Most likely, the pteridine compound is not only a marker of an activated cellular immune system but may exert distinct biochemical functions in the process of infections as well. In response to viral contact, macrophages located in the nasal mucosa may re...

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS Monocyte chemoattractant protein- (MCP-) 1, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (MCSF), and neopterin are connected with monocyte migration and transition into macrophages, leading to fibrosis and tubular damage in the course of CKD. The aim of the study was to analyze the applicability of urinary fractional excretion (FE) of MCP1, MCSF, and neopterin, as markers of infla...

In this cross-sectional study, we analysed serum concentrations of soluble markers of cellular immune activation, namely, interferon-gamma, neopterin (a product of activated macrophages), soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and soluble CD8, in 25 patients with congestive heart failure. Ten (40%) patients showed increased concentrations (i.e. above the reference ranges of healthy controls) of neopte...

Our aim was to investigate whether serum neopterin and beta 2-microglobulin have any value in the distinction between Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) and pneumonia due to extracellular bacteria. Also, to study whether neopterin and beta 2-microglobulin would correlate with the clinical course of lung infections in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive and HIV-negative patients. Thirt...

Neopterin, a pteridine group compound that is secreted from macrophages is shown to be increased in adult leukemia; however there are few studies in childhood leukemia. This study aimed to investigate neopterin levels during childhood leukemia treatment and neutropenic fever episodes for the possibility of using as a marker for disease activity and differentiation of infections. A total of 44 c...

OBJECTIVES We sought to assess the relation between serum neopterin concentration and complex coronary artery stenosis in patients with unstable angina. BACKGROUND Monocyte activation is associated with acute atheromatous plaque disruption and acute coronary syndromes. Angiographically demonstrated complex coronary stenosis is often an expression of plaque disruption. Increased serum concentr...

BACKGROUND Left ventricle remodeling (LVR) is a relatively common and unfavourable event occurring after acute myocardial infarction. A link exists between inflammation and LVR. Neopterin, a marker of inflammation and macrophage activation, is a predictor of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with coronary artery disease. We therefore sought to assess whether both neopterin and brain natr...

We describe a patient originally suffering from a depressive syndrome who developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome after 12 days of treatment with lamotrigine. The clinical symptoms and the inflammation parameters neopterin and C-reactive protein were documented. Neopterin values showed a good correlation with the course of the disease, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported previ...